The summer of 2006 will be
filled with the sound of music now that the
Clara Eitmann Messmer Amphitheater is up and running. Most weekends, a
musical group will be performing at the newest performing arts venue in
Hermann. In this newsletter we are featuring the three bands that are
scheduled to play in June.

Hermann Hill
Village updateJune 1 will be an exciting day for us with the arrival of our
very first guests at Hermann Hill Village. In anticipation of their stay
in Cottages #1 and #2, we are going through the final checklist to make
sure everything is ready for them.

Hot tubs and Jacuzzi tubs are
running, fireplaces have been lit, and all appliances are installed and
working. We have ordered glassware with the Hermann Village logo and
have placed a special rack in each kitchen to hold the stemware. In
addition, kitchens are equipped with a microwave, dishwasher, coffeepot,
waffle maker, toaster, plates and utensils.

The Common Room in Cottage #1

Deck with grill and Jacuzzi at Cottage #1

And, gas grills have been installed on the decks. When they arrive at
Hermann Hill Village, each guest will be given a complimentary thermal
coffee mug.

Cottages #3, #4, and #5 will be
ready for guests by July 1. Anyone interested in booking one of the
cottages may check the availability
page on our web site.

Keeping the
town tickingSitting proudly atop the German
School* is the town clock, which has been a Hermann landmark since
1890.

As the story goes, it was Mrs.
Carolyn Graf who spearheaded the effort to get a clock placed on the
public schoolhouse. Apparently, before the advent of wrist watches, people
sitting on benches alongside the school often went across Fourth Street to
the Graf Printing* building, which housed the local newspaper office, to
find out the time. Mrs. Graf, a newspaper employee, was continually asked,
"Was ist die Uhr?" (What time is it?) To put an end to the interruptions,
she went to the school board and asked to have a clock tower erected.

The Clock Tower is a Hermann landmark

The school board ordered a tower
clock for $435. A German clock maker from the A.E. Pollhans Company of St.
Louis was charged with building the clock, and Henry Tekotte, a local
contractor, was enlisted to construct the tower. On Aug. 27, 1890, the
project was completed. The clock's inner workings still can be viewed from
the second floor of the German School building. Visible are its two
mechanisms, one for striking and one for time keeping.

But, to keep the clock ticking
and striking the hour, the clock must be wound twice a week. This takes a
committee of local citizens, which currently is headed up by Joe Everdon.
He's been a clock winder for about 10 years. He also is known as chief
worrier, the man responsible for the clock. And the clock seems to be in
good hands. "I've made several grandfather clocks so I'm used to the
gearing of the clock," said Joe, who is a clock hobbyist. In addition to
grandfather clocks, he has made several grandmother clocks and hundreds of
battery operated clocks.

Recently, there was talk about
electrifying the clock because it is not always easy to get people to do
the winding. But, the board of directors of Historic Hermann ruled out
that idea. According to board member Carol Kallmeyer, "The board felt that
it's our tradition to keep it running as it is. To electrify it would take
away that tradition, and we need traditions."

Joe Everdon winds the town clock

Joe concurs, "It would be a
shame to put electric on it." However, he said that more clock winders are
needed. "We could use eight or ten. It would be nice to get some
volunteers." What he'd really like to see are younger people getting
involved because it takes some strength to wind the clock, particularly
the striking mechanism. The clock must be wound twice a week. Usually
volunteer winders sign on for a month at a time, but any help would be
welcome. One volunteer said he likes being a winder because he "keeps the
town ticking".

The clock recently has undergone
its first cleaning since it was installed. It is in its original
condition -- no new parts have been added. "It's an amazing little clock,"
said Joe.

The clock continues to strike
every hour, letting anyone within hearing distance know the time of day.

The sounds of
summerSince the arrival of the first German settlers, Hermann has
always had a band. The Music-Chor Blech Instrumenten (choral group with
band instruments) was formed in 1839, and there has never been a time
since when music hasn't played a major part in community life here.

Last month, the
Clara Eitmann Messmer Amphitheater was
dedicated with its mission to continue the musical traditions in Hermann.
Beginning with the Memorial Day dedication and a concert by the Hermann
City Band, nearly every weekend from now until October there will be a
musical performance at the amphitheater.

In each of the next several
monthly newsletters we will introduce you to the groups that are scheduled
to play during that particular month. All seating at the open-air
amphitheater is on the lawn, so guests are asked to bring lawn chairs or
blankets. Since weather can be a factor, it may be necessary to make some
last-minute schedule changes.

Performances in June include The
Loehnig German Band playing on June 11, Fresh Picked on June 16, and the
John Berkemeyer Combo (JB8) on June 25. Concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m.
unless noted. Concerts are free to the public and are sponsored by the
Hermann Arts Council.

The Loehnig
German BandThe Loehnig German Band is a family band headed up by Terry and
Marilyn Loehnig. Both Terry and Marilyn began entertaining long before
their marriage in 1968, but the band wasn't formed until the early 1970s.

Marilyn became interested in the
accordion at age 5 when she received a red, plastic accordion as a
Christmas gift. She began playing simple tunes by ear, and as her parents
noticed Marilyn's continued interest in playing, they purchased a small 12
bass accordion for her. She began taking lessons at age 12, but much of
her advanced playing was self-taught. Terry also played the accordion from
an early age, and during their teens, Terry and Marilyn played in Sonny
Bottermueller's Peace Valley Orchestra in Hermann.

Shortly after they married, the
couple moved to Germany where Terry was on active duty in the army for two
years. While living in Bavaria, they enjoyed the typical music of southern
Germany and got the idea to start a folk music band when they returned
home.

Formed in 1973, the band played
for Octoberfest and Maifest in Hermann. For many years the Loehnig
children performed with the band having been taught to play drums and to
sing German songs phonetically. The family cut their first record album in
1980, with many more following in the ensuing years.

The band has added members
through the years, and presently they include: Terry; guitar and vocals;
Marilyn, accordion and button-box accordion and vocals; Jim Oncken,
trombone and vocals; Bonnie Oncken, drums; and Ehren Oncken, button-box
and vocals.

The Loehnig German Band performs
at area festivals, public dances, anniversaries, parties, and other
functions. It has had several tours in Germany. Recently, they added
television performances to the list of venues, playing for The Big Joe
Polka Show that airs on RFD-TV Channel 379 on Direct TV and Channel 9409
on Dish.

The group specializes in German
folk music including waltzes, polkas, schottisches, vocals, and yodeling.
At the June 11 concert, Ehren will play an original composition from his
CD of button-box music that was released in 2000.

Fresh PickedGood friends Mike and Nancy Monahan and Mark and Sally Borzillo
formed Fresh Picked several years ago. Since all are accomplished
musicians, they decided to get more serious about their music and start
playing together on a regular basis. The group plays a variety of
music -- folk, Irish, bluegrass, and acapella. They also have been known to
break out into jazz sessions with several of their children joining in the
playing and singing.

Fresh Picked
(l-r) Mike and Nancy Monahan,
Mark and Sally Borzillo

Nancy is a native of Los Alamos,
New Mexico. She is a classically trained musician who plays piano, violin,
and viola. Both her mother and sister are accomplished pianists. Nancy has
the rare ability of being able to sight read and she also plays music by
ear.

Mike was raised in Marthasville,
Missouri. He also is classically trained and plays bass, piano and guitar.
He often is seen on the Hermann stage playing in local music performances,
and for many years he's been a regular at performances at East Central
College in Union, Missouri. Mike and Nancy have been playing bluegrass
music for nearly 20 years. They also dabble in classical, jazz, and folk
music.

Sally is a native of Ellisville,
Missouri. She has been singing and writing songs for most of her life. She
performs most of the lead vocals in the group. While growing up, she
performed in school musicals. Sally plays guitar and sometimes is seen
strumming the mandolin. Fresh Picked includes several of her published
songs among its repertoire.

Mark hails from Affton,
Missouri, but has distant ties to Hermann. His maternal relatives settled
in Hermann in the 1840s and were well-known musicians in the Apostle Band
and Fire Department Band. Mark plays piano, guitar, mandolin, violin,
banjo, and bass. He claims that he fills in on the instruments that no one
else plays and occasionally sings "when no one is listening".

The foursome toured Germany in
2000 as part of a bluegrass gospel music tour. They often perform as a
group at local churches and are regulars at area events.

The John
Berkemeyer Combo (JB8)JB8 is a smaller version of the JB Big Band that plays both
specially arranged charts and charts 'from the head' (arranged and
presented on the spot). The concert on June 25 will feature the
international cabaret vocalist Eleanor Edwards. Eleanor has performed
around the world, doing opening acts for Louie Prima and many others. She
hails from Baltimore, Maryland, and now claims the Midwest as her home.

Eleanor will be joined by
pianist Terry Mosser, TJ Panula on drums, Mike Monahan on bass, Alan
Nellis on trumpet, Ron Shroyer on tenor, Matt Myler on trombone, and John
Berkemeyer on alto sax.

John Berkemeyer

Alan Nellis has arranged many
special musical productions in mid Missouri and is featured with jazz and
classical groups alike. Ron is the Dean of Music at Central Methodist
University, and is a great arranger and player in his own right. Matt is
fairly fresh from the cruise boat musical performance venues, playing
frequently in Russia, and anywhere a large boat can travel. TJ, Mike and
John hail from the Hermann area and often are seen, and heard, at local
venues.